Garden boundary wall

[Steve]

I currently have a boundary wall in rough bricks, over 100 years old. Its showing its age, lots of mortar missing and loose bricks, and a slipshod fence attached to it. Theres also a distinct twist to the wall! I want it rebuilding in plain red brick. Nothing fancy.

Question is, would new foundations be required? Might be a daft question - I presume the existing wall would be just built onto the soil. What sort of foundations would you put down for a 6ft high double wall, about 14ft long, with another section at right angles at the end, about 3ft long.

How long would this take a brickie to do? And what sort of cost? I also want the old wall removing from site (obviously)

Cheers

 

[noseall]

The demolition and clearance of the existing wall plus the new wall will cost upwards of £2200 depending upon how you want it topping off, i.e. concrete copings or tile crease with soldier header etc.

The foundations will need to be dug down to virgin earth and be 450mm wide and at least 225mm thick.

You may want to start and finish the wall with a pillar though the stability of the wall is increased with you having a 90 degree turn.

Expect it to take three days or more depending upon workforce size, access, weather and terrain.

 

[Steve]

thanks, thats just what i wanted to hear, but surprised about the cost!

 

[Steve]

OK, same question, but in breeze block, rendered? I'm hoping for a slightly cheaper solution, but I have a feeling much of the cost is with the foundations and disposing of the old wall.

 

[Deluks]

Firstly, you should dig a hole alongside the wall and see whether there are foundations already.
Secondly, nothing stopping you from knocking down the wall, cleaning up the bricks of mortar with a hammer and chisel, and seeing if a local reclamation yard will have them off you. Or advertise them locally as 'free hardcore'

Or you could re-use the good ones to rebuild the wall with?

Breeze blocks not too good for rendering, hollow concrete blocks would probably be better. Or you could just give them a couple of coats of masonry paint? I believe 'brick red' is one of the colours you can get

 

[Steve]

Deluks, I'm not too bothered about the old bricks - the guys who build the wall can do what they like with them. The wall is crumbling away anyway now. I have been out and banged a few bricks (not hard) and some crumble, some will move about! I'm just wondering about the cost of building a 6ft high wall in <suitable concrete blocks> which could be rendered. I'm not keen on painted brickwork, of any variety.

 

[RedHerring2]

I think the cost difference between bricks and blocks is about £2 to £4 per square metre depending on type, of course.
You have about 10 metres ² X 2 for both skins, so the saving is minimal on materials.

Brickie that done a quote for me said £13 per Metre ² irrespective of bricks or blocks.


About £12 per metre ² for bricks = £240
Brickie = £260

The rest is demolition, clearance, digging and foundation, not including sand & cement.

Only my estimate, so happy for any dissagreements.

 

[Steve]

Thanks.

Its just nice to know the going rate.

If I clear the site myself ready, and dig the trench, clearly this will have an impact on the final price. But from noseall's price, it seems it'll have a massive impact!

My concern with digging the trench myself is that it'll then probably be left open for a couple of days, and I'd need to provide some means of stopping the general public from falling / urinating in it, and preferably from wandering into my garden and peering into my house!

 

[mointainwalker]

and I'd need to provide some means of stopping the general public from falling / urinating in it, and preferably from wandering into my garden and peering into my house!

In Yorkshire surely not ??

 

[noseall]

My concern with digging the trench myself is that it'll then probably be left open for a couple of days, and I'd need to provide some means of stopping the general public from falling / urinating in it, and preferably from wandering into my garden and peering into my house!

Temporary hoarding/fencing may be wise....

 

[Deluks]

See if any local hire companies have heras fencing. The clip together wire type fencing you see around building sites.

*edit* beaten by a nose!

 

[theoldun]

Just run a few quick figures together on measurements given. Bricks LBC Sandface with brick on edge capping and two course of blues as DPC. Demolition, skip and founds included.. No allowance for copings or creasing. . £2128.00 Can only get down to that price by doing it through a company not VAT registered. About 3% difference in our price and Noseall. Not a lot is it?

Red Herring.
Fimd your figures very confusing.
With waste you have approx 1200 brick in the wall. Lets take LBC Sand face which are about the cheapest half tidy brick that you will get. These will stand you in at £654.31 per 1000 less 35% = say £425.00 per thousand plus VAT = say £499.00 per 1000. Now you will need 1200, therefore price of bricks (excluding overheads, profit margin and any running about) will be £598.00 and not £240.00 as you state.. Profit, overheads etc add 20%, price now £717.00

Take your labour content. £260.00 to lay 1200 bricks. This means that he is working on £259.00 per 1000 on possibly English or Flemish bond fair faced and jointed both sides with a dozen plumbing points on just 5100 lin metre of wall.. Now, to make wages either his middle name is Superman, or he wants cash in his claw as he is on some decent benefits.

As lads on here make a living laying one brick on top of other not prepared to say what I feel the going rate should be.

Duke,
Sounds like you have just decorated your bedroom. Try grass green in bathroom.
oldun

 

[RedHerring2]

Red Herring.
Fimd your figures very confusing.

No probs, oldun. I just plucked a cheap class B Engineering red brick price from a catalogue at .19 per brick, which admittedly is about cheapest, not incl VAT, delivery, waste, profit etc. I didn't allow for any below ground brickwork or piers

Take your labour content.

Again, no probs. I just quoted a price that I was given a couple of weeks ago. (£11 & £13 per metre ² ). I assumed that a) it was brickie only and b) they were bona fide workers. Ah, just realised, that was no pointing, etc 'cos it was to be rendered/plastered.

If I had continued with a cost comparison (and I admit to not putting a lot of effort into it) I guess I would have arrived at about £1500 at cost only (approx £650 for trench and footings, approx £350 for demolition and removal). Perhaps I should have done.

I'm only a DIYer (perhaps it's obvious why. )I realise that any decent contractor with overheads, waste, delivery, VAT(which is nearly £2k on its own), profit, security, etc would have come in at around the same price as yours and Noseall's.

Time to go back to my DIY.